There is a little-known group of rather brilliant artisans who hand-link the seams of premium cashmere sweaters.

Their work finds its way into the collections of a handful of high-end clothiers in Europe, and just one in the United States: Garnet Hill.

For years, we’ve procured cashmere sweaters from this family-owned company. The father and son who run it practice a philosophy that mirrors our own: a passion for sublime quality, happy employees, and genuine concern for the environment.

The herds of Kashmir goats in Inner Mongolia that provide raw fleece for Garnet Hill sweaters are responsibly managed, to conserve the land. Where others mix breeds to increase yield, these animals remain purebred.

The herders are all family businesses, too.

The workspace where our cashmere sweaters are made is energy-efficient and spotless. Solar panels generate 60% of the company’s electricity. At night, before the lights go off, its cool, resin-treated cement floor is saturated with water; during the day, it releases the humidity level that superior cashmere requires in processing.

Father and son came up with that.

Our maker doesn’t tumble-dry cashmere, as most do. The friction of tumble-drying during manufacturing can add two years of wear in 45 minutes. Father and son solved that one, too, inventing a drying process that applies warm and cold air on drying beds. No tumbling, no wear.

Our Eco cashmere colors are entirely unbleached and undyed yarns; the color of the goat’s fleece is the color of your sweater.

The cashmere sweaters we do add color to are dyed with certified eco-friendly German dyes. Greenpeace once invited our dye-maker to show others how to reduce chemicals in water discharge.

We could go on…

But you know what they say about Internet attention spans. By now, you’re probably already picking out a color.

And who can blame you? In the end, cashmere isn’t really about the technical stuff.

On a sunny day in July, deep in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, the temperature tops 100ºF — yet thousands of goats are grazing happily on the open plain. You’d think otherwise given the unbearable heat, but then again, the capital is named Hohhot. Even worse, the winters are long, cold and dry, with temps often plummeting to 40ºF below; factor in the wind chill and frequent blizzards and by contrast, New England’s forecast begins to look like San Diego’s.

What good could possibly come from such extreme weather variations? Only the most sought-after cashmere in the world.

Once a year, these hardy cashmere goats evolve a protective, downy undercoat that keeps them cool in the summer and cozy all winter. By mid-spring, they’re ready to be combed (we can just hear their sighs now). Manual combing is the better method; it’s completely harmless and yields long, pure fibers that reduce pilling (shearing shortens the fibers and contains more of the coarse guard hair). The result is 4 ounces of raw cashmere per goat — enough for about ⅓ of a sweater — ready to be sorted, de-haired, washed, and eventually spun into soft pure Garnet Hill cashmere.
Considering it takes a year’s worth of fleece from four to six goats to make just one of our 2-ply cashmere sweaters, it deserves special care.
More than half the herd would perish annually until local families of herders began caring for this special cashmere breed. Garnet Hill is honored to support their tradition since 2005.

Recently, our Cashmere Hats, Gloves and Scarves were featured on the Meredith Vieira Show. We are so excited that our cozy winter accessories appeared in the “WHAT’S HOT NOW” segment of Meredith’s I’M OBSESSED: Holiday Edition. If you missed the show, take a peek at the clip.

The Garnet Hill gift assortment is in full swing. Check out the complete collection for more cashmere gifts and warm winter wears.

Customers will be able to peruse Garnet Hill’s bedding and home decor, as well as favorites in sleepwear and apparel. The store will offer everything from the authentic European cotton flannel sheets that launched our company, to the full array of beautifully designed products that we’re known for today!

“We’ve put a lot of thought and care into our premiere store’s design and location. And Bridgehampton — with a charming downtown that is both low-key and a destination for home design resources — felt like a perfect fit for us,” says Claire Spofford, Garnet Hill president. “We think customers who know and love us will be excited to ‘meet’ us for the first time and we’ll be a pleasant surprise to new customers as well.”

Located at 2424 Main Street (also known as Montauk Highway) in the center of Bridgehampton’s downtown district, the interior of the 1,700 square foot store juxtaposes the honest simplicity of our New England roots with the comforts and casual glamour of the modern coastal lifestyle.

The official grand opening of the store will happen Saturday, June 27. We’d love to see you there!

On a sunny day in July, deep in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, the temperature tops 100ºF — yet thousands of goats are grazing happily on the open plain. You’d think otherwise given the unbearable heat, but then again, the capital is named Hohhot. Even worse, the winters are long, cold and dry, with temps often plummeting to 40ºF below; factor in the wind chill and frequent blizzards and by contrast, New England’s forecast begins to look like San Diego’s.

What good could possibly come from such extreme weather variations? Only the most sought-after cashmere in the world.

Once a year, these hardy cashmere goats evolve a protective, downy undercoat that keeps them cool in the summer and cozy all winter. By mid-spring, they’re ready to be combed (we can just hear their sighs now). Manual combing is the better method; it’s completely harmless and yields long, pure fibers that reduce pilling (shearing shortens the fibers and contains more of the coarse guard hair). The result is 4 ounces of raw cashmere per goat — enough for about ⅓ of a sweater — ready to be sorted, de-haired, washed, and eventually spun into soft pure Garnet Hill cashmere.

Considering it takes a year’s worth of fleece from four to six goats to make just one of our 2-ply cashmere sweaters, it deserves special care. Three simple tips will keep your cashmere looking its best for years:

Hand-dip in cold water without detergent; air dry

Store on a dedicated shelf next to a glass of water to maintain humidity

Avoid friction (rubbing, wringing, drying with other garments); it shortens the
fibers which leads to pilling